Jersey Boys-2014

Jersey Boys-2014

Director-Clint Eastwood

Starring-John Lloyd Young

Scott’s Review #95

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Reviewed July 5, 2014

Grade: B+

Jersey Boys is a film version of the hit Broadway show of the same name and is directed by Clint Eastwood.

It tells the story of Frankie Valli and his friends (later becoming the Four Seasons) growing up in 1950’s mob-laden New Jersey and their journey through hardships and petty crime to musical success.

The film is a mainly feel-good experience as the songs alone resonate with the audience and immediately stick in one’s head as catchy as they are (Sherry, Walk Like a Man, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You) are prominently featured throughout the film and it is tough not to toe-tap along with the musical numbers.

Most of the boys grow up in a heavily Italian neighborhood, which is a delight as Eastwood’s authenticity is impressive: the food, the fights, gangster mob ties.

Admittedly, I found the first 30 minutes or so a bit slow, but afterward, the film takes off.

The cast is very good- John Lloyd Young is excellent as Frankie Valli, a role he also portrayed on Broadway, and it is very nice to see Christopher Walken as a kindly mob boss who looks out for the kids.

The film is wonderfully shot and the 1950’s nostalgia is apparent throughout via set pieces, costumes, etc.

Is this film edgy? Not in the least. Is it a safe crowd-pleaser? Absolutely!

It is a fun musical experience that does not delve into schmaltz and is quite enjoyable.

Alien-1979

Alien-1979

Director Ridley Scott

Starring Sigourney Weaver

Scott’s Review #94

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Reviewed July 5, 2014

Grade: A-

Alien is a science-fiction success from 1979 that began a long-running franchise and made Sigourney Weaver a household name.

It has the brilliant direction of Ridley Scott, who sets up the atmosphere and camera angles perfectly.

Arguably in the horror genre as well as science-fiction, the film is riveting from start to finish.

Weaver stars as Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, a member of a spaceship returning to Earth. The ship picks up a distress signal and is ordered to investigate. They discover an alien existence.

From this point, the film certainly has a horror element to it as the members of the doomed spacecraft are knocked off one by one in pure horror fashion, but the brilliant part is you do not know when or how and many of the deaths come out of nowhere.

The captivating visual effects in this film take it to another level and the narrow spacecraft tunnels and hallways are stunning.

The villain of the film, the alien, is masterful as it is mysterious to the audience. The fact that it is only sporadically seen only adds to the tension.

Alien (1979) is a memorable classic that is high up there on the sci-fi genre list of excellent films.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects (won)

Jack the Giant Slayer-2013

Jack the Giant Slayer-2013

Director-Bryan Singer

Starring-Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson

Scott’s Review #93

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Reviewed July 4, 2014

Grade: C

Jack the Giant Slayer is a fantasy, CGI-laden film most likely targeted at a young audience. It tells the story of Jack, a farmhand who must rescue a beautiful princess from the world of giants after an accident causes a gateway to open to their world.

The film is loosely based on the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk”. The special effects in the land of the Giants are the most impressive aspect of the film.

Otherwise, it is a love story mixed with adventure and the story is simply not very engaging and very predictable.

Heavyweights Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci appear in over-the-top performances and the acting of the princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) is shockingly wooden.

The finale is mildly entertaining as a chase through the castle occurs, but the film is so weighted down by the effects and the lack of a good story that overall it was a very middle-of-the-road film.

Blue Jasmine-2013

Blue Jasmine-2013

Director-Woody Allen

Starring-Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins

Scott’s Review #92

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Reviewed July 3, 2014

Grade: A

Blue Jasmine is the latest offering by Woody Allen and one of his best in my opinion. I have heard from several people how they are not typical Woody Allen fans but loved this film and I ponder why that is.

My theory is that Cate Blanchett, who stars as neurotic Jasmine, is the heart and soul of this movie.

Allen’s films usually center on neurotic characters and this film is no different.

Set primarily in San Francisco, it tells the story of how Jasmine has lost all of her money thanks to bad investments by her ex-husband (played in flashbacks by Alec Baldwin). She is a socialite and used to the best life has to offer her in both excess and extravagance.

Now Jasmine is reduced to making a clean start of it by rooming with her blue-collar sister, played by Sally Hawkins, and trying to scrape by. Jasmine struggles to find success and the means to survive.

The film is hysterical at times, heartbreaking at others, even a downer at moments. Jasmine, through the assistance of pills and martinis, is snobbish and ego-centric, yet the audience falls in love with and roots for her.

She is high class yet broke. She keeps up appearances, and her wit, usually at the expense of others, never falters. Blanchett is responsible for the love of this character and, thankfully, won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal.

Thanks to Allen, the dialogue is sharp, witty, and filled with laugh-out-loud moments. Thanks to much of it taking place in flashbacks, the audience sees Jasmine’s life as it once was, having everything and then some, then back to her current reality and back and forth. This is a wise decision to show both of her lives.

This film will go down as one of Woody Allen’s best.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Cate Blanchett (won), Best Supporting Actress-Sally Hawkins, Best Original Screenplay

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Female Lead-Cate Blanchett (won), Best Supporting Female-Sally Hawkins, Best Screenplay

The Broken Circle Breakdown-2012

The Broken Circle Breakdown-2012

Director Felix Van Groeningen

Starring Veerle Baetens, Johan Heldenbergh

Scott’s Review #91

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Reviewed July 3, 2014

Grade: B+

The Broken Circle Breakdown is a 2012 Belgian film nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

It tells a dark story of a couple, with very different religious beliefs- one atheist, the other a devout catholic, whose six-year-old daughter is battling cancer.

Their differences escalate over time as circumstances occur in their lives.

The film begins in 2006 but constantly goes back in forth in time from when the couple meets and falls in love and begins performing in a bluegrass band together, to their current dire situation in present times, which is a clever aspect of the film.

It is far from a by-the-numbers happy couple with sick daughter type of film. It is much deeper than that and quite depressing and dreary overall.

The pain and hardships this family goes through are heart-wrenching especially as the film focuses on the happy time in their lives to contrast the pain.

When the second half unfolds, the subjects of politics and religion are explored with the then (2002 time period) controversial topic of stem cell research discussed.

As dark as this film is to watch, it is also an important one as it steps outside of the box and tackles difficult subject matters.

I wish more films would do the same.

Oscar Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film

North by Northwest-1959

North by Northwest-1959

Director Alfred Hitchcock

Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint

Top 100 Films #26

Scott’s Review #90

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Reviewed July 3, 2014

Grade: A

North by Northwest is a 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film, released during the heyday of its famous director (1950s and 1960s).

It is considered one of his most commercially successful films and is the mainstream fare that contains all the elements of a great Hitchcock film- adventure, intrigue, romance, and suspense.

Unlike some of his other films, his characters are straightforward and not psychologically wounded as are some of his others, and this is not a slight, but merely makes the film “for the masses”.

Charismatic Cary Grant plays successful advertising executive Roger Thornhill. He works in bustling New York City, has a secretary, and is well respected in his circle.

While enjoying drinks at the club on the evening before a planned trip to the theater, he becomes a victim of mistaken identity- thought to be George Kaplan-and accosted by henchmen to a lavish mansion on Glen Cove Long Island.

After a botched attempt on his life, he is arrested and ultimately must race across the United States on the lam to find the real George Kaplan.

The wonderful locales go from New York City to Long Island to Indiana, to Chicago, to Mount Rushmore.

The film is exciting from start to finish, never letting up, and features a common theme of Hitchcock’s- an “everyman” falsely accused of a crime attempts to prove his innocence.

Slightly different from some Hitchcock films in that there is not as much psychological analysis of the characters, but rather a good, old-fashioned adventure story with many twists and turns along the way.

In many ways, North by Northwest is a precursor to the enormously popular James Bond films as Grant brought style, sexiness, and charisma to this sleek feature.

The set style and design look just perfect. The lush Long Island estate set is flawless with a grand staircase and a well-constructed library used- not to mention the exterior shot of the enormous house.

The house in Mount Rushmore is sleek, quite trendy, and reeks of high sophistication. Propped on an incline and containing its airplane runway, it is quite grand.

The chemistry between Grant and Eva Marie Saint is apparent and oozes from the screen from the moment they bump into each other on a train traveling from New York to Chicago. As they dine in the dining car a flirtatious scene-the landscape whizzes by in the background, the comforting train whistle and background noise work well.

Their relationship is established, and the characters are intrigued and slightly mistrustful of each other, which gives the scene an edge and complexities that work.

The film features a cutting-edge graphic design in the opening credits as Vertigo also did around the same period. The green colors and the sophisticated advertising style of the graphics kick the film off in a creative, ultra-cool, modern way.

Interesting to note is the implied homosexuality of Martin Landau in the role of Leonard, henchman to the main villain Phillip Vandamm, and this is exactly how Landau played the role.  During Hitchcock’s time, homosexuality was strictly prohibited in the film but subtly shone through.

Leonard’s fascination and jealousy towards Vandamm have levels of flirtation and vengefulness intertwined.

Scene after scene of North By Northwest is filled with suspense- the crop duster scene is my ultimate favorite. Shot without music, and on location in a dreary, clear, middle-of-nowhere field, somewhere in Indiana, it is layered with suspense that keeps going in this very long scene.

Thornhill is scheduled to meet Kaplan at a designated spot. A lonely bus stop, random passing cars thought to be the intended, a deadly airplane, and an explosion all transpire. The scene is fraught with tension.

New fans of Hitchcock should begin with this one- mainstream and one of his finest, containing all the traditional Hitchcock elements where all the pieces come together perfectly.

North By Northwest (1959) is a masterpiece.

Oscar Nominations: Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Art Direction, Color, Best Film Editing

The Guilt Trip-2012

The Guilt Trip-2012

Director Anne Fletcher

Starring Seth Rogan, Barbra Streisand

Scott’s Review #89

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Reviewed July 3, 2014

Grade: C+

The Guilt Trip (2012) is a lightweight, fun piece of fluff.

It stars Seth Rogan as a thirty-something single guy from New Jersey with a Jewish (in every clichéd way) overbearing mother played by Barbra Streisand.

Through circumstances from his job, they are forced to take a road trip cross country to California where they are to meet a long-lost beau of hers.

If not for the talents and humor of Barbra Streisand, this movie would have been a dud. It’s a dumb movie, but Streisand plays her overbearing, annoying character to the hilt and makes her loveable.

There is nice chemistry between Streisand and Rogan, though frankly, I wonder why Streisand has turned to mindless comedy over more highbrow film work.

Rogan plays a character he has played time and time again in these types of films.

The film screams predictable throughout as with similar road trip comedies, they encounter all of the United States’ geographical stereotypes (cowboys, steakhouses, bull-riding, etc.).

A dumb film made somewhat enjoyable by the two leads.

The 400 Blows-1959

The 400 Blows-1959

Director Francois Truffaut

Starring Jean-Pierre Leaud

Scott’s Review #88

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Reviewed July 2, 2014

Grade: A

The 400 Blows is a French New Wave masterpiece from 1959 that is heartbreaking yet beautiful in its storytelling.

It tells the story of Antoine, a kindhearted yet hardened teen boy who is forced out on his own to live a tough life on the streets of Paris.

It is autobiographical of sorts as director Francois Truffaut suffered a childhood similar to the boy.

Misunderstood and mistreated by his parents and schoolteachers, Antoine must survive and thrive as a teenage runaway who cannot get a break in life.

Shot in Paris and featuring gorgeous shots of the city, the black and white filming adds to the bleakness and coldness of this young boy’s life and Truffaut was the first to use the common still-frame close-up of angst and the scenes of Antoine running from the city along the beach are some of the most beautiful in film history.

Truffaut influenced a generation of directors with his very personal brand of storytelling.

The 400 Blows is not always a pleasant film, but an important and influential one in art cinema.

Young actor Jean-Pierre Leaud gives an excellent performance.

Oscar Nominations: Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Crush-2013

Crush-2013

Director-Malik Bader

Starring-Lucas Till, Sarah Bolger

Scott’s Review #87

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Reviewed July 2, 2014

Grade: C-

Crush tells a story that has been told since almost the beginning of cinematic history- that of the stalker. It’s a teen stalker film very similar to The Roommate and Swimfan, which I admit to having seen and enjoyed.

A teen soccer jock injures his knee and decides to break up with his girlfriend to focus on rehab. From this point, someone begins to stalk him and leave secret admirer notes.

Several red herrings ensue and a twist is contained in the final 30 minutes that, unfortunately, if one bothers to look at the cover art on the DVD, the stalker is revealed.

This particular genre is a guilty pleasure of mine so it’s tough to be completely objective. On the surface Crush is a terrible movie- it is by the numbers, no character development, but just plain old fun.

I suppose it is loosely a remake of the Alicia Silverstone film from the 1990s.

In any event, the appeal (good or bad) was that the filmmakers played this film seriously instead of fessing up to a poor script and playing it for laughs.

The acting was awful, the teen outcasts looked like they could easily be the popular kids and made up to appear nerdy, and the film had a Hallmark television movie of the week badness to it, but in a goofy, trashy way I enjoyed the film.

Easy to Love-1953

Easy to Love-1953

Director Charles Watson

Starring Esther Williams, Van Johnson

Scott’s Review #86

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Reviewed July 2, 2014

Grade: D

Easy to Love (1953) is a romantic comedy from 1953 starring competitive swimmer turned actress Esther Williams.

Williams plays a (surprise!) swimmer in love with her boss who does not return her affections. She also has two other suitors madly in love with her, so it’s a love triangle type of film with Williams having a side-kick, played by Edna Skinner.

They go from Florida to New York on a job adventure.

The main problem with this film is the silly script. It’s a romantic comedy of its day with Williams scampering from one beau to the next. By the end of the film, she has three suitors all vying for her affection, but the viewer hardly cares whom she chooses or which one was meant to be the hero.

The endless scenes of Williams swimming around were necessary since that’s what she was known for, but the film is a dud on almost every level.

Williams, hardly known for her acting ability, spends much of the film jet-skiing and prancing around in swimwear while men lust after her.

That pretty much sums up Easy to Love (1953).

Williams is not a terrible actress, though hardly Katharine Hepburn either. The movie just seems lackluster and quite trivial and not too much fun.

Outrageous Fortune-1987

Outrageous Fortune-1987

Director Arthur Hiller

Starring Bette Midler, Shelley Long

Scott’s Review #85

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Reviewed July 2, 2014

Grade: D

Outrageous Fortune (1987) is one of many silly plot-driven comedies to come out of the late 1980s.

It stars huge comedic actresses of the time (Bette Midler and Shelley Long) as opposites, Midler-brash, Long-refined, who are acting students and in love with the same man (Peter Coyote).

Of course, they meet and hate each other then become friends. This sets off a series of misunderstandings and standard comedy fare.

It’s a female buddy movie. I must say that I did enjoy the chemistry between Long and Midler as the on-screen chemistry is evident.

Besides the chemistry, the only other positive is the New York City location scenes and the acting/theater workshop setting.

Whose idea was it for Midler to use a horrible, phony New York accent??

It distracted throughout the entire film which is not very good, to begin with. Otherwise, this is a dud and is completely plot-driven and predictable.

It has a pure 1980s comedy feel to it (by that I mean overdone hairstyles, bad music, and a silly plot).

Shelley Long is the highlight of this film as she is great at comedic timing, but, unfortunately, her film-starring career was short-lived.

Slaughterhouse Five-1972

Slaughterhouse Five-1972

Director George Roy Hill

Starring Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman

Scott’s Review #84

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Reviewed July 1, 2014

Grade: A-

Slaughterhouse-Five, adapted from the novel of the same name and made in 1972, is a dream-like visual experience through cinematic time.

The main character (Billie Pilgrim) is a World War II soldier who survives a horrific explosion during the war in one period of his life, and he, along with the viewer floats through time to relive, but not change, three other times in his life.

It is a first-person narrative.

As a senior, in the most engaging period, he is transported to a lavish outer space planet where he falls in love with a Goddess.

There is a certain anti-war sentiment to the film and is certainly cerebral, unique mesmerizing, and tough to explain, but it is dreamy and clever and, after 30-plus years, is surprisingly fresh, therefore it should be experienced.

It is a science-fiction type of film.

My favorite scene is the humorous, yet tragic runaway Cadillac scene.

The Conversation-1974

The Conversation-1974

Director Frances Ford Coppola

Starring Gene Hackman

Top 100 Films #5

Scott’s Review #83

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Reviewed July 1, 2014

Grade: A

The Conversation (1974) is one of my favorite films. It is a thinking man’s psychological thriller that is pure genius.

Had The Godfather (1972) not been the success that it was, this film would never have been made.

It is a very personal story crafted by Francis Ford Coppola.

The film stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert, who is a technical genius, but social misfit Harry Caul, a cynical man suspicious of everybody.

He is paranoid.

He is hired by a mysterious ‘Director’ to tap a young couple’s conversations and submit the recordings to the Director’s assistant played by a very young Harrison Ford (his first film).

Harry is also obsessed with his privacy chastising his landlord for sending flowers to his apartment. His latest assignment becomes an obsession for him as he begins a downward spiral of paranoia concerning a young couple he feels is in danger.

For the viewer and the character of Harry Caul, we feel we have everything figured out but do we? Is the couple in danger? Who are they?

Many aspects of the film are fuzzy and unclear which is the genius of it and makes the viewer think. The atmosphere is repetitive and tense. The endless sound loops and the surveillance in the park are highly effective.

The creepy hotel scene towards the climax of the film is my favorite in its bizarre nature.

Each time I view The Conversation (1974) I see something different or try to dissect it in a new way. That to me is film-making at its greatest.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound

Altered States-1980

Altered States-1980

Director Ken Russell

Starring William Hurt

Scott’s Review #82

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Reviewed July 1, 2014

Grade: B-

Altered States (1980) is a trippy, strange horror/sci-fi hybrid film (William Hurt’s debut film) that is visually quite impressive, but the story is too far-fetched and implausible to be taken seriously.

It feels like an earlier version of The Fly, but inferior to that particular film.

Hurt plays an abnormal psychology professor obsessed with experimental schizophrenic hallucinatory drugs, which he takes, causing him to ultimately experience episodes of being half man, half ape through the use of a sensory deprivation tank, and a strange Indian tribe comes into play.

It’s a very silly premise but somehow is believable to a point, especially in the first act.

The ending of the movie proved ridiculous and uninteresting to me and seemed extremely disjointed as an entire film.

There were lots of behind-the-scenes troubles with this film, which could explain the unbalanced feeling.

Otherwise, the sporadic weird colors and patterns during the scientist’s episodes were effective.

Drew Barrymore’s first film (she plays a toddler).

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Score, Best Sound